Hourly rounding for falls prevention: a change initiative

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Healthcare Management
• Patient Safety

Background:

• Fall-related injuries pose a significant risk to the elderly population.
• An aging demographic intensifies the need for effective fall prevention strategies in healthcare.
• Reducing harm and fall rates among seniors is a critical healthcare challenge.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the implementation of an hourly rounding initiative for falls prevention.
• To address initial adoption challenges and develop a sustainability plan for the initiative.
• To foster collaboration among nurses and allied health professionals for patient safety.

Main Methods:

• Establishing an hourly rounding protocol in a healthcare facility.
• Critically examining the implementation process after initial challenges.
• Developing and executing an innovative sustainability plan for cultural integration.

Main Results:

• Hourly rounding is literature-supported as an effective falls prevention strategy.
• Initial implementation faced challenges, necessitating a revised approach.
• A sustainability plan was developed to embed the initiative into the organizational culture.

Conclusions:

• Hourly rounding can be an effective strategy for falls prevention in the elderly.
• Successful implementation requires addressing adoption barriers and ensuring sustainability.
• Interdisciplinary collaboration is key to advancing patient safety initiatives.